Established in 2009
NExT was formed in the Spring of 2009 by UVa undergraduate Matthew Smith (SIE 2009 & nanoSTAR Student Associate) to provide a forum for students from a wide variety of backgrounds to learn more about research and development at the cutting edge. Although nanotechnology was a particular interest, the organization from inception was designed to look to the future- at emerging technologies. Over the following year, the club established a regular seminar series, hosted industry speakers, and co-sponsored (with the nanoSTAR Institute) a student/faculty mixer to connect interested students with summer research opportunities. Typically, forty to fifty students from a wide variety of majors attended the monthly seminars and approximately fifteen students participated in regular planning and business meetings.